A popular ski resort on Lake Tahoe, California has changed its name to eliminate a racist and misogynistic insurgency after consultations with local Native American groups.
The complex, known as Squaw Valley since 1949, will be called Palisades Tahoe, the business announced Monday.
“More than a year ago we came to the conclusion that it was time to change our name. The reasons were clear: the old name was derogatory and offensive, “the resort said in a statement. “It didn’t mean who we are or what we represent. And we could not continue to use it with good conscience.
California’s Indigenous nations had long called for a name change before the station, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, officially announced its plans last year. Derived from the Algonquin language, it is believed that the word “squaw” once meant “woman”, but was transformed into a misogynistic and racist term used to belittle indigenous women.
“We have been in the area for thousands of years. Olympic Valley is located within the ancestral homeland of the Washoe people. The word itself is a constant reminder of the unfair treatment of the natives, the Washoes, ”said Darrel Cruz, with the Washoe Tribe Historic Preservation Office, in a statement provided by the resort. “It’s a constant reminder of those times when it wasn’t good for us. It’s a term that someone else has imposed on us and we don’t agree with it. “
As he considered changing his name, the station consulted the Washoe tribe, who had previously asked local officials to remove the insignia from the places of their ancestral homeland.
The decision to change the name, announced in August 2020, came after a summer of protests against racism and white supremacy in the US following the assassination of George Floyd. After the protests, California cities, schools and parks began to reconsider controversial names with racist stories.
The San Francisco School Board approved, but later, reversed the decision to change the name of 44 schools to names that said they honored figures related to racism, sexism and other injustices. This plan included schools named by Presidents Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.
Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad, California, is proposing to change its name to Sue-meg State Park, the original name of the area used by Yurok residents. Residents of Yurok have formally requested the change, as the current name of the park refers to Patrick Beegan, who was accused of murdering Indians in the 19th century.
Last October, the Placer County Board of Supervisors voted to change the name of a racist street north of Lake Tahoe after local residents gathered signatures to request the change. The Sierra County Board of Supervisors voted in June to change the name to Jim Crow Road. And the gold-plated city of Placerville voted this year to remove a bow image from its 19th-century logo.
The Associated Press contributed to this report